Buffalo Bills free safety Jairus Byrd started the season with a sports hernia injury that

limited his play in training camp but will end it with his first invitation to the Pro Bowl.

The rookie out of Oregon was the only Bills player this season selected to the annual

all-star game, which is set for Jan. 31 in Miami. Byrd was named a Pro Bowl reserve but the

Bills placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 23 with a lingering groin injury and his

availability for the game is undetermined. His selection on Tuesday night was not a surprise.

Byrd is tied with Philadelphia's Asante Samuel and New Orleans' Darren Sharper for the

league lead in interceptions with nine. The nine picks are also a franchise record among

rookies. Byrd earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in October after recording five

interceptions. He was the first NFL rookie since Mark Carrier (1990) with five interceptions

in a calendar month.

Byrd's nine interceptions were one shy of the club record held by Billy Atkins (1961) and

Tom Janik (1967). Two other players — Tony Greene (1974 and 1977) and Nate Odomes (1993)

— had nine interceptions in a season. Archie Matsos held the franchise rookie record of

eight interceptions for 49 years until Byrd broke it at Kansas City earlier this month.

Byrd becomes the first rookie defensive back in team history and third overall since 1970

to be selected to the Pro Bowl, joining running backs Joe Cribbs (1980) and Greg Bell (1984).

He is the first Bills defensive back to be selected since Nate Clements (2004).

The only other rookie on the AFC team was Houston linebacker Brian Cushing, while Washington

linebacker Brian Orakpo is the lone rookie on the NFC squad. This is the fifth consecutive

year that at least three rookies have been selected to the Pro Bowl. Prior to 2005, the last

time that three or more rookies were selected was 1990.

Byrd missed most of training camp after sports hernia surgery and dealt with a sore groin

for nearly two months before going on IR. This is his first year playing safety since high

school; he played cornerback throughout college. His interception numbers alone should put

Byrd on the short list of Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates.

"Yeah, it's a cool thing," Byrd told reporters this month. "I can't sit here and tell

you that it's not. But it's just our season's not going the way I'd like it to go. I've said

it before, if we could be in the playoffs doing something like that, I'd give that up in a

heartbeat."

It is a mild surprise that veteran defensive end Aaron Schobel was not named to the team.

Schobel is tied for 11th in the league with 10 sacks, but he's sixth among defensive ends

and second in the AFC in that department behind the Colts' Dwight Freeney (13.5), who was

named to the team. The other defensive ends named were Indianapolis' Robert Mathis and

Houston's Mario Williams. Mathis has 9.5 sacks while Williams has eight. Freeney and Mathis

are slated to start the game.

Schobel, a nine-year veteran, has talked about retirement after this season. What effect,

if any, his missing out on the Pro Bowl will have on his future is uncertain. The argument can

be made that Schobel is still a premier player in the league at his position and has something

left in the tank.

The Bills were off Tuesday. Byrd and Schobel were unavailable for comment.